CCM Creative Leadership Club Spreads Cheer All Year Long

Formed to maintain connections among County College of Morris (CCM) employees while serving the local community, the college’s Creative Leadership Club (CLC) once again this year utilized the talents of its members to benefit local residents.

During the course of 2016, CLC helped to put smiles on the faces of seniors, recently divorced women, veterans and others. Club participants use their lunchtime once each month to work on creative projects and to enjoy the camaraderie of being with employees they might not otherwise interact with as part of their jobs.

This year, the club arranged silk florals in jars to grace the dining room tables at Morris View Healthcare Center. In addition, they painted clay pot angels and handstitched warm, fleece shawls for the Morris View store, which donates proceeds to support community service projects undertaken by residents. In yet another project, CLC members created teacup candles for the clients of the Women’s Center at CCM.

As in recent years, members also made holiday gift boxes out of glass blocks to sell at the CCM Employee Holiday Market. The proceeds from that sale help support the group’s activities in the upcoming year.

The CLC was formed in 2012 by participants in the college’s Leadership Academy so they could continue to connect with one another.

“The club’s mission is to simply create and donate, and any employee on campus is welcome to join,” said Edie Nelson, counselor with the Educational Opportunity Fund at CCM, who formed the CLC. “There are no rules but to come when you can and enjoy making something beautiful that can bring cheer to others, which brings its own special reward.”

Photo: Members of the Creative Leadership Club at County College of Morris with the flower arrangements they made to grace the dining tables at Morris View Healthcare Center. Pictured are (l-r) Edie Nelson of Byram, Donna Garrity of Rockaway, Maria Isaza of Dover, Ana Figueroa of Roxbury, Joanne Kearns of Oak Ridge and Marina Karpovitch-Belov of Pine Brook.